REGION: Local schools have fewer dropouts compared with state, county

North County high schools have fewer students dropping out
overall than most high schools throughout the county and state,
according to numbers released by the state Thursday.

The annual dropout report released by the California Department
of Education shows that in local districts, between 2 and 17
percent of the class of 2010 quit school before earning
diplomas.

As in previous years, schools in wealthier areas tended to have
fewer dropouts than those in poorer neighborhoods.

Carlsbad Unified, Poway Unified and San Dieguito Union High
School districts had the lowest dropout rates ---- 2 percent in
Poway, 3 percent in the San Dieguito district and 5 percent in
Carlsbad, according to the state data.

San Marcos Unified had the highest dropout percentage, according
to the state, at 17 percent. However, Superintendent Kevin Holt
said Thursday that the figure was higher than it should be because
of accounting errors at the district level. Holt said he expects
the district's dropout rate to be similar to those in surrounding
districts.

"I was completely surprised when I saw the report," Holt said.
The district will amend the data soon, he added.

Oceanside Unified had a dropout rate of 13 percent and Vista
Unified's was 12 percent.

The statewide average was 18 percent and countywide was 16
percent.

However, state officials said the numbers shouldn't be compared
with those of previous years, because they were calculated in a new
way that includes tracking individual students throughout high
school rather than relying on complicated formulas.

Being able to see where the students went will help school
officials fine-tune programs and curriculums, said Terry Decker,
assessment coordinator for the Oceanside Unified School
District.

"That's not something we've had in the past,"
he said. "The idea of being able to actually track a group of kids
from ninth through 12th grade has a lot of value for us."

Across the state, a quarter of students failed to finish high
school on time in 2009-10. Besides the 18 percent that dropped out,
7 percent were still enrolled in school. A smaller number of
students have tested out of high school or are in special education
programs that don't work toward diplomas.

The state numbers show a continued gap between dropout rates of
black and Latino students and their white and Asian peers.

In San Diego County, 27 percent of black students dropped out,
compared with 20 percent of Latinos, 11 percent of whites and 8
percent of Asians.

The report also shows that boys tend to drop out more than
girls. Across San Diego County, 18 percent of boys and 14 percent
of girls dropped out.

Students learning to speak English as a second language also had
a much higher dropout rate ---- 27 percent in San Diego County,
compared with the 15 percent average for all students.

"Sadly, the graduation rates of these subgroups of students are
too low and their dropout rates are too high," said Tom Torlakson,
state superintendent of public instruction. "Our job is to provide
every child the best chance to succeed ---- whether they speak
English, come from a family in poverty, have health issues, or
special needs."